1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology for improving visibility of an image when image information of a read film original is displayed.
2. Related Background Art
In flat bead type image reading apparatuses that have been developed in recent years, when a strip of 35 mm film is to be read, the strip is set along the sub scanning direction of the image reading apparatus due to limitations of space. In other words, a strip of 35 mm film is read under the state in which its long side is oriented in the sub scanning direction. However, the general trend is that when the read image is displayed on a display device of a computer, preview display for a transparent original is performed in the form of thumbnail type display that is similar to the index print for the APS film, in order to improve ease of operation by users. Therefore, when thumbnails of a 35 mm film strip are displayed, the image that has been read along the longitudinal direction is rotated by 90 degrees, since horizontal display is better in terms of visibility.
However, a 35 mm film slide with a mount, a Brownie film, or 4×5 inch film can be set in the above-described image reading apparatus without paying attention to the orientation of the film. On the other hand, in the conventional image reading apparatus, thumbnails are displayed in the state in which read image is rotated by 90 degrees in order to improve ease of user's operation of thumbnails for a 35 mm film strip. Consequently, when a 35 mm film with a mount, a Brownie film or a 4×5 inch film is set in the image reading apparatus in a landscape (or horizontal) orientation, it is also rotated by 90 degrees and displayed in a portrait (or vertical) orientation. This deteriorates visibility and user operability.
In the conventional image reading apparatus, a film guide is generally used in order to set films in the apparatus correctly. However, when films are set in the image forming apparatus without the film guide, there might be a mixed situation in which some films are placed in a portrait orientation and some films are placed in a landscape orientation. In that case, images placed in a portrait orientation and images placed in a landscape orientation are mixed in the thumbnail display. This situation is undesirable from the view point of appearance or operability.